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Topic: Microbiology

Lyndsey Stevens, Jake Naar, and Jeff Kitchen

Homepage done by Lyndsey Stevens


Objectives of the Chapter:
  • Bacteria
  • Viruses
  • Infectious Diseases



Terms to Know for Microbiology:
bacteria.jpg
Bacteria Cells


19-1 Bacteria
  • Bacillus -rod- shaped prokayote
  • Binary fission -type of asexual reproduction in which an organism replicates its DNA and divides in half, producing two identical daughter cells
  • Chemoautotroph -organism that makes organic carbon molecules from carbon dioxide using energy from chemical reactions
  • Chemoheterotroph -organism that must take in organic molecules for both energy and carbon
  • Coccus -spherical prokaryote
  • Conjugation -form of sexual reproduction in which paramecia and some prokaryotes exchange genetic information
  • Endospore -type of spore formed when a bacterium produces a thick internal wall that encloses its DNA and a portion of its cytoplasm
  • Facultative anaerobe -organism that can survive with or without oxygen
  • Nitrogen fixation -process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia
  • Obligate aerobe -organism that requires a constant supply of oxygen in order to live
  • Obligate anaerobe -organism that cannot live in the prsence of oxygen
  • Photoautotroph -organism that uses energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water to carbon compounds
  • Photoheterotroph -organism that is photosynthetic but needs organic compounds as a carbon source
  • Prokaryote-unicellular organism lacking a nucleus
  • Spirillum -spiral or corkscrew-shaped prokaryote

19-2 Virus

  • Bacteriophage -virus that infects bacteria

  • Capsid -outer protein coat of a virus
  • Lysogenic infection -process by which a virus embeds its DNA into the DNA of the host cell and is replicated along with the host cell's DNA
  • Lytic infection -process in which a virus enters a cell, makes a copy of itself, and causes the cell to burst
  • Prophage -the viral DNA that is embedded in the host cell's DNA
  • Retrovirus -virus that contains RNA as its genetic information
  • Virus -particle made up of nucleic, protein, and in some cases lipids that can replicate only by infecting living cells

19-3 Diseases Caused by Bacteria amd Viruses
  • Antibiotic -compound that blocks the growth and reproduction of bacteria
  • Pathogen -disease-causing agent
  • Prion -infectious particle made up of protein rather than RNA or DNA
  • Vaccine -a preparation of weakened or killed pathogens
  • Viroid -single-stranded RNA molecule that has no surrounding capsids



viruses.jpg
Viruses
Summary of the Unit:

This chapter covers three main topics: bacteria, viruses, and infectious diseases. After we completed our project, we reflected on what we learned about each of the topics. Lyndsey learned that bacteria has a lot to do with the way we live in terms of food, beverages, mining minerals, etc. Jake learned that viruses cannot be treated by antibiotics, but by vaccinations. Jeff learned that there are three ways infectious diseases can be spread: food-borne, person-to-person, and air-borne.


You can follow this link (that we used for each of the topics) to the on-line textbook to learn more information about Microbiology:

http://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com/snpapp/iText/BrowseITEXTServlet?eventType=openIEXT&ISBN=0-13-181118-5&ISBNUrl=%2FiText%2Fproducts%2F0-13-181118-5%2Findex.html&ITEXTOID=0-13-181118-5&EnrollmentOID=8CEB867A7726C022E040A00A9F0E6DF4&DisplayTitle=Prentice+Hall+Biology+©2006&TitleInFrame=Y&classPeriodOid=dc4d88ac81fb4b2294fcf665990241e5&isbnUrlIsJavascript=false